Mission

The mission of Willimantic Whitewater Partnership is to recapture the waterfront of the Willimantic River primarily in the Town of Windham and Willimantic, including but not limited to increasing safe access to the river for residents, restoring the environment of the river and the anadromous and other fish populations and other wildlife, creating a regional swift water rescue and training center, encouraging environmental and hydrologic scientific research, involving and serving as a resource and opportunity for local educational institutions to participate in action research, developing an urban waterfront and whitewater park, enhancing the potential of Willimantic as a recreation hub, celebrating the cultural history of the Willimantic River and supporting the growth of a trans-cultural arts and enterprise zone in Willimantic, Connecticut.

Vision

By honoring the inherent values of the Willimantic River, its watershed and sister tributaries, and by restoring the Willimantic River to increase fish passage and create whitewater recreational opportunities, by recognizing Willimantic's unique locale and historical resources in the "land of the swift running waterfall," Willimantic Whitewater Partnership will develop in Willimantic a multi-use recreation and transcultural arts hub at the intersection of four greenways: the East Coast Greenway, the Airline Trail, the Hop River Trail, and the Willimantic River Greenway.

The vision is powered by the image of the hub centralizing our three areas of focus--rivers, parks and trails--like spokes from our proposed linear park radiating outwardly with the Greenways. The vision is motivated by the restoration of the Willimantic River and the creation of an urban whitewater park. With history as an inspiration, the region will once again capitalize upon Willimantic's central location as a former rail and industrial hub...moving forward, as a recreation and arts hub. With the lessons of history in hand, the mighty waters of the Willimantic River and its bedrock gneiss are poised again to shape the future of our community, and inspire, by proactive environmental stewardship, the core values that will follow.

Core Values

Like waves curling forcefully back into themselves, Willimantic Whitewater Partnership's core values will be developed through a recursive information gathering process. We invite members of WWP and the community to participate in their development and actualization.